How Nanotechnology Impacts Our Lives Now

8/14/2019 How Nanotechnology Impacts Our Lives Now

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How nanotechnology impacts our

lives now1)Nanocomposites

Researchers at Pacific Northwest National

Laboratory have developed a coating process to make spongelike

silicalatchontotoxicmetalsinwater.SelfAssembledMonolayerson

Mesoporous Supports easily captures such metals as lead and

mercury, which are then recovered for reuse or contained inplace

forever. PNNLOne example of a SAMMS nanocomposite (Self

AssembledMonolayers

on

Mesoporous

Supports).

A

hexagonally

closepacked cluster of tubular pores (end view) is shown in the

foreground. A single pore, in this case coated with a

mercaptopropylsiloxy monolayer, is shown in the background. A

modelofonesurfactantmoleculeisalsoshown.SeeWillcoppersop

upradioactivepollution?fordetails.

Aplastic

nanocomposite

is

being

used

for

"step

assists"

in

the

GM

Safari and Astra Vans. It is scratchresistant, lightweight, and rust

proof, and generates improvements in strength and reductions in

weight,whichleadtofuelsavingsandincreasedlongevity.Andin2001,

Toyota started using nanocomposite in a bumper that makes it 60%


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lighter and twice as resistant to denting and scratching.

Impact:WilllikelybeusedonotherGMandToyotamodelssoon,and

inotherareasoftheirvehicles,aswellastheotherautomanufactures,

loweringweight, increasingmileage,andcreating longerlastingautos.

Likelyto

impact

repair

shops

(fewer

repairs

needed)

and

auto

insurance

companies (fewer claims). Will also likely soon be seen everywhere

weight, weatherproofing, durability, and strength are important

factors.ExpectNASA,theESA,andotherspacefaringorganizationsto

takeaseriouslook,soon,whichwilleventuallyresultinlowerliftcosts,

whichwillresultinmorematerialbeingliftedintospace.

Electron micrograph of

typical

silicon

nanocomposite

cross

section

showing

uniformdistributionofconductivecarbonnanotubenetwork.Photocourtesy

ofU.S.AirForce.SeeElectricallyConductivePolymerNanocomposite

Materialsfordetails.

Strongandlightsoundsliketheperfectrecipeforagolfclub,ofcourse,

which is why so many golf club manufacturers are now devoting big

buckstonanoR&D.Thusfar,theonlycompanyamongthebigboysto

convert

research

into

tangible

products

is

Wilson,

which

offers

three

drivers, a fairway wood, four balls and even a golf bag made using

nanomaterials.

The Chicagobased firm began looking into the potential of

nanotechnologysixyearsago,butdidn'tcomeoutwithaproduct the


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NCODEseriesoftennisrackets until2004.Laterintheyear,itstarted

shippingdriversand fairwaywoods, thePd5,Dd5,Td5 (MSRP $300)

and FwC (MSRP $200), whose crowns are constructed with nano

carbon

which,

Wilson

claims,

creates

a

low

density,

high

strength

club

head.AngusMoir,globalbusinessdirector,saysuseofnanomaterials

setsWilsonapartfromthecompetition."Theymakeourproductsmore

userfriendly,"hesays.

2)Nanocrystals

Examples:"Metal

Nanocrystals

might

be

incorporated

into

car

bumpers,makingthepartsstronger,orintoaluminum,makingitmore

wearresistant.MetalNanocrystalsmightbeusedtoproducebearings

thatlastlongerthantheirconventionalcounterparts,newtypesof

sensorsandcomponentsforcomputersandelectronichardware.

Nanocrystalsofvariousmetalshavebeenshowntobe100percent,200

percentandevenasmuchas300percentharderthanthesame

materialsin

bulk

form.

Because

wear

resistance

often

is

dictated

by

the

hardnessofametal,partsmadefromNanocrystalsmightlast

significantlylongerthanconventionalparts."

http://news.uns.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/020816.Chandrasekar.na

no.html


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Nanocrystalsabsorbthenreemit

thelightinadifferentcolor thesizeoftheNanocrystals(inthe

Angstrom

scale)

determines

the

color.

Sixdifferentquantumdotsolutionsareshown,excitedwithalong

waveUVlamp.

Quantumdotsaremolecularscaleopticalbeacons.Qdot

NanocrystalsbehavelikemolecularLEDs(lightemittingdiodes)by

"lightingup"biologicalbindingeventswithabroadpaletteof

appliedcolors.

ImageanddescriptionCourtesyandQuantumDotCorporation

Smith & Nephewmarkets an antimicrobial dressing covered with

nanocrystalline silver (A patented Technology of NUCRYST

Pharmaceuticals).The

nanocrystalline

coating

of

silver

rapidly

kills

abroadspectrumofbacteriainaslittleas30minutes.


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"Nanocrystals are an ideal light

harvester in photovoltaic devices. (They) absorb sunlight more

strongly than dye molecules or bulk semiconductor material;

thereforehighopticaldensitiescanbeachievedwhilemaintaining

the requirement of thin films. Perfectly crystalline CdSe

Nanocrystalsare

also

an

artificial

reaction

center,

separating

the

electron hole pair on a femtosecond timescale. Fluorescent

Nanocrystals have severaladvantages over organicdye molecules

asfluorescentmarkersinbiology.Theyareincrediblybrightanddo

not photo degrade. Drugconjugated Nanocrystals attach to the

protein in an extracellular fashion, enabling movies of protein

trafficking. (They) also form the basis of a highthroughput

fluorescence assay for drug discovery." Sandra Rosenthal,

Assistant

Professor

of

Chemistry,

The

University

of

Chicago.RosenthalGroup

3)Nanoparticles

StainrepellentEddieBauerNanoCareTM

khakis,withsurfacefibers

of 10 to 100 nanometers, uses a process that coats each fiber of

fabricwith"nanowhiskers."DevelopedbyNanoTex,aBurlington

Industries subsidiary.Dockersalsomakeskhakis,adressshirtand

even a tie treated with what they call "Stain Defender", another

example of the same nanoscale cloth treatment.


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Impact:Dry cleaners, detergent and stainremovalmakers, carpet

and furniture makers, window covering makers .... SeeNanoTex

products

BASF's annual sales of aqueous polymer dispersion products

amount to around $1.65 billion. All of them contain polymer

particles ranging from ten to severalhundrednanometers in size.

Polymer dispersions are found in exterior paints, coatings and

adhesives,orareusedinthefinishingofpaper,textilesandleather.

Nanotechnology also has applications in the food sector. Many

vitaminsand theirprecursors,suchascarotinoids,are insoluble in

water.

However,

when

skillfully

produced

and

formulated

asnanoparticles, these substances can easily be mixed with cold

water, and their bioavailability in the human body also increases.

Manylemonadesandfruitjuicescontainthesespeciallyformulated

additives, which often also provide an attractive color. In the

cosmetics sector, BASF has for several years been among the

leading suppliers of UV absorbers based on nanoparticulate zinc

oxide. Incorporated in sun creams, the small particles filter the

highenergy

radiation

out

of

sunlight.

Because

of

their

tiny

size,

they remain invisible to the naked eye and so the cream is

transparent on the skin. FromNanotechnology at BASF

Sunscreensareutilizingnanoparticlesthatareextremelyeffective

atabsorbing light,especially in theultraviolet (UV) range.Due to

the particle size, they spread more easily, cover better, and save

money since you use less. And they are transparent, unlike

traditional

screens

which

are

white.

These

sunscreens

are

so

successful that by 2001 they had captured 60% of the Australian

sunscreen market.

Impact: Makers of sunscreen have to convert to using

nanoparticles. And other product manufactures, like packaging


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makers,willfindwaystoincorporatethemintopackagestoreduces

UV exposure and subsequent spoilage. The $480B packaging and

$300B plastics industries will be directly effected. SeeBig

Opportunities

for

Small

Particles

Using aluminum nanoparticles,Argonidehas created rocket

propellantsthatburnatdoubletherate.Theyalsoproducecopper

nanoparticles that are incorporated into automotive lubricant to

reduce engine wear.

AngstroMedicahas produced a nanoparticulatebased synthetic

bone."Human

bone

is

made

of

acalcium

and

phosphate

composite

called Hydroxyapatite. By manipulation calcium and phosphate at

the molecular level, we have created a patented material that is

identical in structureand composition tonaturalbone.This novel

syntheticbonecanbeusedinareaswherenaturalboneisdamaged

or removed, suchas in the in the treatmentof fracturesand soft

tissue injuries."

See

thisKemco

International

page

for

a

list

of

applications

for

nanoparticles.

4)NanostructuredMaterials

Nanodyne makes a tungstencarbidecobalt composite powder

(grainsizelessthan15nm)thatisusedtomakeasinteredalloyas

hardasdiamond,which is inturnusedtomakecuttingtools,drill

bits, armor plate, and jet engine parts.


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Impact: Every industry that makes parts or components whose

propertiesmust includehardnessanddurability.SeeNanostructed

Materials Get ToughA PDF document

Kodak is producing OLED color screens (made of nanostructured

polymer films) for use in car stereos and cell phones. OLEDs

(organic light emitting diodes) may enable thinner, lighter, more

flexible, less power consuming displays, and other consumer

productssuchascameras,PDAs, laptops,televisions,andotheras

yet undreamt of applications.

Impact: all current makers of CRTs, liquid crystal displays (LCDs),

andother

display

types.

See

OLEDs

get

ready

to

light

up

the

market

forflexiblescreensandKODAKOLEDtechnicaldetails[aPDF]

5)NanoclaysandNanocompositesExample:

Used in packaging, like beer bottles, as a barrier, allowing for

thinner material, with a subsequently lighter weight, and greater

shelflife.

Impact: $480B packaging and $300B plastics industries. Reduced

weightmeanstransportationcostsdecline.Changingfromglassand

aluminum think beer and soda bottles to plastic reduces

production costs. Nanoclays help to hold the pressure and

carbonationinside

the

bottle,

increasing

shelf

life.

It

is

estimated

thatbeerinthesecontainerswillgainanextra60days(from120to

180)ofshelflife,reducingspoilage,anddecreasingoverallcoststo

the end user. Nanocor is one company producing nanoclays and

nanocomposites, for a variety of uses, including flame retardants,


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barrier film (as injuice containers), and bottle barrier (as shown

above)."Theyarenotonlyused to improveexistingproducts,but

also are extending their reach into areas formerly dominated by

metal,glass

and

wood."

See

Nanocor

6)NanocompositeCoatingsExample:

Wilson

Double

Core

tennis

balls

have

a

nanocomposite

coating

that

keepsitbouncingtwiceaslongasanoldstyleball.MadebyInMat

LLC,thisnanocompositeisamixofbutylrubber,intermingledwith

nanoclay particles, giving the ball substantially longer shelf life.

Impact: Tires are the next logical extension of this technology: it

would make them lighter (better millage) and last longer (better

costperformance).SeeNanocomposites in tennis balls lock in air,

buildbetterbounce

7)Nanotubes

Nanoledgemakescarbonnanotubesforcommercialuses,ofwhich

onemundane

(marketing

tactic)

use

is

in

atennis

racket,

made

by

Babolat. The yoke of the racket bends less during ball impact,

improving the player's performance.

Impact: Once companies like Nanoledge can scaleup their

production from grams, to pounds, to tons, and can do so while


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controllingthetypeofnanotubetheyproduce,theworldbecomes

theiroyster:everywherestrengthandweightareafactor suchas

in the aerospace, automobile, and airplane industries they will

makeamajor

(disruptive)

impact.

See

French

firm

hopes

to

get

PR

bounce out of nanotubes in tennis rackets

Applied Nanotechrecently demonstrated a 14" monochrome

display based on electron emission from carbon nanotubes.

Impact:Oncetheprocess isperfected,costswillgodown,andthe

highendmarketwillstartbeingfilled.Shortlythereafter,andhand

inhand with the predictable drop in price of CNTs, production

economiesof

scale

will

enable

the

costs

to

drop

further

still,

at

whichtimewewillseenanotubebasedscreens inuseeverywhere

CRTs and view screens are used today. SeeApplied Nanotech

demonstrates carbon nanotube TV

AndSamsungisexpectedtodemonstrateaCNTbased32"display

bytheendof2003.

8)Nanocatalysts

China's largest coal company (Shenhua Group) has licensed

technology from Hydrocarbon Technologies that will enable it to

liquefycoal

and

turn

it

into

gas.

The

process

uses

agel

based

nanoscalecatalyst,which improves theefficiencyand reduces the

cost.

Impact: "If the technology lives up to its promise and can

economicallytransformcoal intodieselfuelandgasoline,coalrich


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countries such as the U.S., China and Germany could depend far

lessonimportedoil.Atthesametime,acidrainpollutionwouldbe

reduced because the liquefaction strips coal of harmful sulfur."

SeeVery

Small

Business

Oneof the characteristicpropertiesofallnanoparticleshasbeen

used from the outset in the manufacture of automotive catalytic

converters:Thesurfaceareaoftheparticlesincreasesdramatically

astheparticlesizedecreasesandtheweightremainsthesame.A

variety of chemical reactions take place on the surface of the

catalyst, and the larger the surface area, the more active the

catalyst.

Nanoscale

catalysts

thus

open

the

way

for

numerousprocess innovations to make many chemical processes more

efficient and resourcesaving in other words more competitive.

FromNanotechnologyatBASF

9)Nanofilters

Argonide Nanomaterials, an Orlando

based manufacturer of nanoparticles and nanofiltration products,

makes a filter that is capableof filtering the smallestof particles.

The performance is due to its nano size alumina fiber, which

attracts

and

retains

submicron

and

nanosize

particles.

This

disposable filter retains 99.9999+% of viruses at water flow rates

several hundred times greater than virusrated ultra porous

membranes. It is useful for sterilization of biological,

pharmaceutical and medical serums, protein separation,


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collector/concentratorforbiologicalwarfaredetectors,andseveral

other applications.

Impact:Inthefuture,foroneapplication,sterilizingdrinkingwater,

thisproduct

may

have

an

impact

on

so

called

Third

World

peoples,

who only have access to dubious sources of water.

For more current applications, seeReality is the concept that

governs the new nanobusiness world

These isjust a few of the many ways in which nanotechnology is

working itself into our everyday lives. At present, there are no

nanobots,nomolecularscalemachines,andnoassemblers these

arestill

in

the

basic

research

stages,

and

may

not

be

seen

for

decades(althoughmanywouldarguethataconcertedeffortwould

bringthemtofruitioninjustafewyears).

"What we are seeing is the beginning of a

revolution,causedbyourabilitytoworkonthe

same scale as nature. Nanotechnology will

affect every aspect of our lives, from the

medicines

we

use,

to

the

power

of

our

computers,theenergysupplieswerequire,the

foodweeat,thecarswedrive,thebuildingswe

live in, and the clothes we wear. And it will

happensoonerthanmostpeoplethink.By2010

you won't be able to count the number of

businesses affected by nanotechnology." iTim

Harper,FounderandChiefExecutiveDirectorof

theEuropean NanoBusiness Association, and

CEOCMPCientifica


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Documents

How Nanotechnology Impacts Our Lives Now